Poultry News

How do Cages Influence Red Mite Control in Layers?

07 July 2016

ANALYSIS - Purchasing cages and accompanying equipment is one of the key moments in table egg production, and has a great influence on control of the Red Chicken Mite (Dermanyssus gallinae), write Aleksandar Pavlićević and Ivan Pavlović.

Purchasing cages and accompanying equipment is one of the key moments in table egg production, and has a great influence on D. gallinae control.

A red chicken mite clot on a cage

On the other hand, up to now, there has been no cure-all solution for red mite control. One of the crucial matters is the possibility for an acaricide product to get in contact with the mite, and it is significantly influenced by the cage type.

All cages have hidden spots, but to very different extents. Cages vary to such an extent that they can influence the choice of methods and products for mite control, but they can also decrease the efficacy of control and even make rational control impossible.

Mites inhabit the parts of the cage according to different priorities. It is very important to establish the exact pattern of their infestation, and than monitor it through time. The focus must be on the hidden spots.

We give an example of reverse "U" construction profile, which provides ideal conditions for the mites to hide in the immediate vicinity of the poultry.

Reverse "U" construction profile infested with red chicken mite

It is especially dangerous in the construction of floors and porches. Its internal surfaces can be technically impossible to reach for treatment, or difficult to reach, with a sharp increase in control expenditure. There, mites can survive the product application and they are a source of the problem of decreasing the effects of control and rapid development of chemoresistance.

Buddha said: "Everything simple is eternal". This truth of life is totally applicable in our case - only simple cages are good cages! Please, check the cages, and parts we mentioned, see if this is correct. If it is, you should know that in red chicken mite, there is no stagnation. You can count on their yearly increase, and ask yourselves what is coming.

The price of purchasing cages is one issue, and how much they will cost you later and what kind of economic results they will yield is a completely different issue.

Indirectly, certain types of cages can be a real business trap, causing problems which take their toll every production day. It is very important to plan your production with a correct choice of cage and avoid the aforementioned problems. You will have a double benefit, for both profitability and general welfare.

This is not a suggestion just for table egg producers, but even more for cage manufacturers to extend the remit of cage construction to include these considerations. This would contribute not only to red mite control, but would also decrease safety risks for egg consumers, and improve health status of poultry.

Understanding the influence of the cage is an important example of preventive veterinary medicine at work.